Read Online Rohn Federbush - Sally Bianco 01 - The Legitimate Way by Rohn Federbush - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rohn Federbush
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gunned the engine to keep from being pulled into the washboard section. The trees along the sheltered roads of Waterloo retained most of their leaves and the colors were stupendous.
Robert talked nonstop while Penny broke into lyrics from Iolanthe. Sally was glad any bitterness resulting from Penny’s honing in on her planned excursion with Robert faded away with the sounds of the woods feeding her hearing aid through the half-opened window. At the Mud Lake turn around, Sally stopped the car.
“Did I tell you I was a Big Sister to a nine year old in Harveyson, once?” Sally didn’t care if they were interested or not. “I brought her here to show her the sand hill crane nest. I told her this place was probably unchanged from when Indians roamed the land. I was all excited and asked her what she thought of the place. ‘Boring,’ the child said.”
“I hope you boxed her ears,” Robert said.
“No.” Sally could still taste her keen disappointment as if the scene had just occurred. “I immediately took her home.’
“How long did you stay in the Big Sister program?” Penny asked, in what Sally thought was an almost gracious tone.
“Well, her brothers kept telling her to ask for my camera, and to go shopping with her. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I could afford all the medical help Danny needed. I didn’t think I could or should spend money on her.”
“You’re not supposed to, are you?” Robert asked.
“No,” Sally said, “But I thought about it.”
“Did you just leave her hanging?” Penny asked.
Sally looked at Penny as she poured Robert another, unneeded portion of cream sherry. She was awfully cute and even David in the Bible was allowed to keep young virgins in his bed to warm his bones. “I went to the agency and told them my problem. They said they would find someone else for her.”
“What about the detectives you’re going to hire for Arizona?” Penny asked. Was she trying to be purposefully irritable?
“I’m going to let a high-school friend of mine from Illinois interview people before I send anyone down there,” Sally said. She prayed John Nelson would help. He seemed to like her. Hopefully she was not imposing on his good nature.
“I could talk to them,” Penny said.
“Let Sally handle this,” Robert said as he climbed back into the car. “Let’s visit my parents’ grave on the hill and then drive around the pond in Waterloo.”
“Do we have time to go out to the bird sanctuary?” Sally asked.
“Better not,” Robert said. “Andrew said he would come by the shop at 6:30. Do you want to join us for Chinese?”
“I’d like that,” Sally said. “Andrew can probably point me in the right direction for a detective agency.”
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Peking duck was delicious and the other dishes of spiced Chinese food kept coming until Sally thought she would burst with one more bite. Harvey, Ed, and Sally accompanied Andrew, Robert and Penny to the second-floor restaurant. Sally hoped Harvey would pick up the bill, but knew she would herself, if he were too much in his cups to attend to such mundane amenities.
Andrew had been busy watching traffic cameras from I94 down route 23 for signs of Mary Jo. Since the crime had not crossed state borders, his office was not allowed to pursue the matter farther than the state line. “She picked up a kid at one point.”
“A hitchhiker?” Penny asked.
“Could have been a convict,” Robert said.
“Looked innocent enough,” Andrew said. “About fifteen, really.”
“Mary Jo did have a soft heart,” Robert said, then corrected himself, “does have a warm heart.”
“The cops caught him with a suitcase that was Mary Jo’s,” Andrew said.
They all stopped eating. “Did he harm her?” Ed Thatch asked.
“Says he had lunch with her at Cabella’s. She didn’t notice when he disappeared for a trip to the bathroom. He poked the lock out of the back of her van and snatched her suitcase for his next
Robert talked nonstop while Penny broke into lyrics from Iolanthe. Sally was glad any bitterness resulting from Penny’s honing in on her planned excursion with Robert faded away with the sounds of the woods feeding her hearing aid through the half-opened window. At the Mud Lake turn around, Sally stopped the car.
“Did I tell you I was a Big Sister to a nine year old in Harveyson, once?” Sally didn’t care if they were interested or not. “I brought her here to show her the sand hill crane nest. I told her this place was probably unchanged from when Indians roamed the land. I was all excited and asked her what she thought of the place. ‘Boring,’ the child said.”
“I hope you boxed her ears,” Robert said.
“No.” Sally could still taste her keen disappointment as if the scene had just occurred. “I immediately took her home.’
“How long did you stay in the Big Sister program?” Penny asked, in what Sally thought was an almost gracious tone.
“Well, her brothers kept telling her to ask for my camera, and to go shopping with her. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I could afford all the medical help Danny needed. I didn’t think I could or should spend money on her.”
“You’re not supposed to, are you?” Robert asked.
“No,” Sally said, “But I thought about it.”
“Did you just leave her hanging?” Penny asked.
Sally looked at Penny as she poured Robert another, unneeded portion of cream sherry. She was awfully cute and even David in the Bible was allowed to keep young virgins in his bed to warm his bones. “I went to the agency and told them my problem. They said they would find someone else for her.”
“What about the detectives you’re going to hire for Arizona?” Penny asked. Was she trying to be purposefully irritable?
“I’m going to let a high-school friend of mine from Illinois interview people before I send anyone down there,” Sally said. She prayed John Nelson would help. He seemed to like her. Hopefully she was not imposing on his good nature.
“I could talk to them,” Penny said.
“Let Sally handle this,” Robert said as he climbed back into the car. “Let’s visit my parents’ grave on the hill and then drive around the pond in Waterloo.”
“Do we have time to go out to the bird sanctuary?” Sally asked.
“Better not,” Robert said. “Andrew said he would come by the shop at 6:30. Do you want to join us for Chinese?”
“I’d like that,” Sally said. “Andrew can probably point me in the right direction for a detective agency.”
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Peking duck was delicious and the other dishes of spiced Chinese food kept coming until Sally thought she would burst with one more bite. Harvey, Ed, and Sally accompanied Andrew, Robert and Penny to the second-floor restaurant. Sally hoped Harvey would pick up the bill, but knew she would herself, if he were too much in his cups to attend to such mundane amenities.
Andrew had been busy watching traffic cameras from I94 down route 23 for signs of Mary Jo. Since the crime had not crossed state borders, his office was not allowed to pursue the matter farther than the state line. “She picked up a kid at one point.”
“A hitchhiker?” Penny asked.
“Could have been a convict,” Robert said.
“Looked innocent enough,” Andrew said. “About fifteen, really.”
“Mary Jo did have a soft heart,” Robert said, then corrected himself, “does have a warm heart.”
“The cops caught him with a suitcase that was Mary Jo’s,” Andrew said.
They all stopped eating. “Did he harm her?” Ed Thatch asked.
“Says he had lunch with her at Cabella’s. She didn’t notice when he disappeared for a trip to the bathroom. He poked the lock out of the back of her van and snatched her suitcase for his next
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